Apparatus and method for accelerating strands

ABSTRACT

A strand feeding assembly is provided with a strand starting cone and cone idler which cooperate to accelerate a strand introduced between the idler and cone to the proper speed for the strand feeding assembly. The cone is either affixed to and rotates with a roller of the strand feeding assembly, or the cone is independently driven to enable the selection of a rate of acceleration for the strand best suited for the process and type of strand being accelerated.

[ Nov. 13, 1973 United States Patent Brunk et a1.

2,539,978 1/1951 VanDijk.......................... 226/184 X APPARATUSAND METHOD FOR ACCELERATING STRANDS Primary Examiner-Richard A. SchacherAttorney.lohn A. McKinney et al.

[75] Inventors: Jack Laurence Brunk, Toledo;

ABSTRACT Village, Colo.

Oct. 26, 1972 [22] Filed: A strand feeding assembly is provided with astrand 1 1 Appl. No.: 300,941 starting cone and cone idler whichcooperate to accelerate a strand introduced between the idler and coneto the proper speed for the strand feeding assembly. The cone is eitheraffixed to and rotates with a roller of the strand feeding assembly, orthe cone is indepen- [52] U.S. 226/1, 22'6/91, 226/184 [51] Int. B65h17/12 [58] Field of Search 226/184, 1, 12, 24,

dently driven to enable the selection of a rate of acceleration for thestrand best suited for the process and type of strand being accelerated.

13 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 1,962,029 Murphy 226/184 x APPARATUS ANDMETHOD FOR ACCELERATING STRANDS CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONThis application discloses material which is the subject of a commonlyassigned application Ser. No. 300960, filed Oct. 26, 1972 in the name ofSamuel Richard Genson.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a strandaccelerating apparatus and, in particular, to a strand acceleratingapparatus which can be employed both during the start-up or during theoperation of a process to introduce or reintroduce strands into theoperation. 7

Various processes require that a strand run at a high rate of speed inorder for theprocess to be economically and commercially feasible. Onesuch process is a process for producing chopped glass strand from acontinuous stand. The strand in this type of operation attains speeds of3,000 to 10,000 feet per minute and, consequently, this type of processposes several problems. When taking a strand running at a speed of aboutto 100 feet per minute and feeding the strand into a chopper travelingat a speed of about 3,000 to 10,000 feet per minute, the stresses causedby the rapid, almost instantaneous acceleration of the strand can causethe strand to break. In addition, when a plurality of strands are beingchopped simultaneously, strand breakage during a chopping operation cancause an undesirable interruption in the multistrand process while thebroken strand is reintroduced into the process.

In seeking at least a partial solution to this problem, various types ofpull rolls (some using variable speed drives) have been utilized in thepast to accelerate strands. However, at best, this type of apparatus hasonly been partially successful and the need has remained to provide anapparatus and method for introducing' or reintroducing strands into sucha process which overcome these problems of the prior art.

SUMMARY or THE. INVENTION Consequently, it is an object of the presentinvention Y to provide an'apparatus and method of accelerating a strandfrom a rest condition or almost a rest condition up to a speed of about3,000 to 10,000 feet per minute without accelerating the strand soquickly that it breaks. It is a further object to provide an apparatusand method of accelerating a strand wherein one strand of a multistrandprocess can be reintroduced into the process without interrupting ordisturbing the process.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a strand starting assemblyfor a strand feeding assembly such as used in a strand choppingoperation. The strand starting assembly comprises a starting cone and anidler assembly, made up of a plurality of individual idlers, whichcontact and cooperate with the conical surface of the cone to acceleratea strand. The strand to be accelerated is introduced be'tween'the idlerassembly and the cone adjacent the head end of the cone. The strand,

as it is successively gripped between the idlers of the idler assemblyand the conical surface, is urged toward operator greater leeway inselecting the rate of acceleration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERREDEMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a strandchopping apparatus 20 which utilizes the strand accelerating assembly 22of the present invention. While the invention is illustrated with andwill be described in connection with a strand chopper utilized to makechopped glass strand, it is understood that the present invention canalso be utilized in other high speed processes where it is necessary toaccelerate a strand to the relatively high speed required for theparticular process. 1

The strand chopping assembly 20 comprises a rotary chopper 24 and abackup roll 26 which cooperates with the rotary chopper to effect thechopping of the strand. A knurled pull roll 28 cooperates with thebackup roll to feed a strand to the rotary chopper 24 and an oscillatingstrand guide 30 guides a strand from a bushing, package or other sourceto the backup roll and knurled pull roll. During the normal operation ofthe apparatus, the strand or strands pass through the guide 30 andbetween the knurled pull roll 28 and the backup roll 26. The knurledpull roll 28 and the backup roll grip and feed the strand or strandsbetween the rotary chopper 24 and the backup roll 26 where they arechopped into strands ofdiscrete lengths. The chopped strands are thendischarged in a horizontal direction through the discharge chute 32 ofthe apparatus where they are collected on a conveyer belt or othercollection means (not shown).

The oscillating strand guide 30 comprises a pair of grooved rolls 34 and36 between which the strand or strands 38 pass on their way from thesource to the backup roll, and the knurled roll. Rolls 34 and 36 arerotatably mounted on brackets 40 and 42. Brackets 40 and 42 are boltedor otherwise secured to a frame 44 which is reciprocated by conventionalmeans (not shown) in a horizontal plane in a direction transverse tothefline of travel of the strand or strands. With this arrangement thestrand or strands are moved back and forth over the surface of thebackup roll 26 so that the chopper 24 and the backup roll 26 will wearmore evenly. l V i v The rotary chopper 24 is rotatably mounted on a carriage which permits adjustment of the rotary chopper 24 relative to thebackup roll 26 by means of amicr'ometer adjustment assembly which isactuated by hand The'knurled roll 28 is rotatably mounted on one end ofa link 48 which is pivotally mounted at its mid portion on a shaft 50'.The other end of the link is connected to a hydraulic piston assembly 52so that by extending or retracting the piston rod of the hydrauliccylinder, the relative position of the knurled pull roll 28 and thebackup roll 26 can be adjusted.

FIG. 2 illustrates a strand starting assembly 22 having a strandstarting cone 54 which rotates with the backup roll 26. Both the backuproll 26 and the strand starting cone 54 are mounted on a shaft 56. Theshaft 56 is rotatably mounted in and supported by bearings 58 which are,in turn, supported by the frame of the assembly. As shown, the inner endof the shaft 56 is provided with a shieve 60 which is connected by adrive belt to a motor. While this type of drive can be used with thepresent invention, it is contemplated that other forms of conventionaldrives can also be used to drive shaft 56.

The outer end of shaft 56 is provided with a threaded aperture 62 intowhich a retaining stud 64 is threaded to affix the strand starting coneto the shaft and mount the strand starting cone on the backup roll26. Inthe preferred embodiment, the strand starting cone 54 is a frustum witha conical outer surface 66 intermediate its base end and head end. Forthe purposes of this application, the term cone shall mean a cone, afrustum or other element having a generally conical surface for engaginga strand.

The base of the cone is provided with an annular flange 68 which isreceived within an annular groove 70 of the backup roll. This not onlyfacilitates alignment of the starting cone 54 with the backup roll 26,but assures a smooth transition between the strand starting cone and thebackup roll. The head end of the cone is provided with an annular flange72 which defines a circular opening within which an end cap 74 isreceived.

The end cap 74 is a frustum with a conical surface which forms anextension of the conical surface 66. The end cap is provided with a boss76 at one end which is received within the aperture defined by theflange 72. The retaining stud 64 passes through the end cap 74, throughthe hollow interior of the cone and is threaded into the aperture 62 ofthe shaft 60 to rigidly affix or clamp the strand starting cone to thebackup roll so that they rotate together.

The embodiment of FIG. 3 differs from that of FIG. 2 in that the strandstarting cone 78 of the strand starting assembly 22 is drivenindependently of the backup roll 26. In this embodiment, the shaft 80 ofthe backup roll 26 is hollow and a second shaft 82 is mounted within theshaft of the backup roll to support the strand starting cone 78.

The shaft 80 of the backup roll 26 is supported in a bearing 84 and isprovided with a shieve 86 at its inner end. The shaft 80 is driven by adrive belt that is trained about the shieve and the output shieve of amotor.

The shaft 82 of the strand starting cone 78 is supported within theshaft 80 of the backup roll 26 by means of a pair of bearings 88 whichpermits the relative rotation of the backup roll relative to the strandstarting cone. The inner end of the shaft 82 of the strand starting cone78 is provided with a shieve 90 which is connected through a drive beltto a conventional variable speed drive means (not shown). The other endof the shaft 82 is provided with a tapered hub 92 to which the strandstarting cone 78 is bolted so that the cone will rotate with the shaft82.

The strand starting cone 78 is a frustum with a conical outer surface 94intermediate its base and its head end. The base is provided with an endwall 96 having an aperture therein which is complimentary to and forms aforce fit with the tapered surface of hub 92. The head end of the coneis provided with an annular flange 98 which defines a circular openingwithin which an end cap 100 is received.

The end cap 100 is a hollow cylindrical member which is provided with anannular flange 102 that is received within the aperture defined by theflange 98. The other end of the end cap is provided with an annularrecess which has an end plate 104 therein. Studs 106 pass through theend plate 104, through the hollow interior of the end cap 100, and arethreaded into apertures 108 of the shaft hub 92 to rigidly affix orclamp the strand starting cone to the shaft 82.

While the gap between the base of the strand starting cone and thebackup roll'appears substantial, this is just for illustrative purposes.In practice, the gap is just sufficient to allow the strand startingcone and the backup roll to rotate independently without interference.While preferred forms of assembling and mounting the strand startingcones of FIGS. 3 and 4 have been shown, certain modifications andchanges can be made to the assemblies without departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the strand starting cones of FIGS. 2 and 3are provided with a cone idler 110 which contacts the conical surface ofthe particular starting cone..The cone idler is generally positioned tocontact the strand starting cone along a line about 40 to 60 from thepoint at which the strand first contacts the starting cone surface withthe knurled pull roll 28 being located intermediate the point ofintroduction for the strand and the cone idler 110. While the amount ofwrap for the strand can vary considerably depending on the requirementsof a particular operation, the knurled pull roll must be located betweenthe point of strand introduction and the idler to pick up-the strand.The cone idler 110 cooperates with the starting cone to grip a strandtherebetween and initiate the acceleration of the strand. The cone idler110 comprises a plurality of individual idler rolls 112 made of hardrubber or similar materials and mounted'on a common shaft 114 which.extends parallel or substantially parallel to the conical surface ofthe starting cone. The idler rolls 112 readily conform to the cone whensubjected to light pressure and can be replaced individually when worn.The individual idler rolls 112 must be free to rotate independently ofeach other since the surface speed of the cone differs from point topointwith the surface speed increasing from the head of the cone to thebase portion of the cone.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cone idler 110 is carried by a bracket 116. Thebracket 116 comprises an elongate frame member 118 with a support arm120 depending from each end. The ends of shaft 114 are supported in thearms 120 with the shaft extending parallel to the conical surface of thestrand starting cone. The frame member 118 is provided with alongitudinally extending flange 122 which is rigidly affixed to a clevis124 of the cone idler support frame 126.

The cone idler support frame 126 comprises a horizontally extendingtubular frame member 128 and a vertically extending tubular frame member130. Tubular frame member 128 is welded or otherwise secured at one endto the main frame of the strand chopping assembly. The other end of thetubular frame member 128 is welded or otherwise affixed to the upper endof tubular frame member 130 and supports that frame member.

A double-acting air cylinder 132 is mounted on the upper end of member130. A piston rod 134 of the air cylinder 132 extends down into tubularframe member 130 and is secured to a multi-section shaft 136 which iswelded to clevis 124.

The air cylinder 132 is connected to a four-way valve or similar controlmeans through pneumatic lines 138 and 140 which communicate with theair'cylinder 132 on either side of the air cylinder piston. The valvevents one side of the piston while supplying pressurized air to theother side of the piston. THe valve is preferably actuated by a footswitch to lower the cone idler into operating position. When the footswitch is not depressed, the upper side of the piston is vented and theunderside of the piston is pressurized to position the cone idler aboveand out of contact with the strand starting cone in an inoperativeposition. The multi-sectional shaft 136 is provided with a cam follower142 which is guided by a cam 144 to prevent the shaft from twisting andmaintain the cone idler 110 in proper alignment with the strand'startingcone. The cam 144 comprises a pair of vertically extending blocks 146which are joined by a plate 148 to form a vertically extending channel.The plate 148 is.welded or otherwise affixed to the tubular frame member130 and is provided with a vertically extending slot ISO-through whichthe cam follower 142 projects. The cam follower 142 has a head 152 atone end which slides within and contacts the sides of the channel formedby the block 146. The other end of the follower is threaded into andsupported by the multi-section shaft 136 with a spacer 154 assuring thatthe head 152 of the follower and the plate 148 of the cam do notinterfere with each other.

In operation, a strand is passed'through the oscillating strand guide30. The foot switch is depressed bringing the cone idler 110 into firmcontact with the surface of the strand starting cone 54 or 78. Thestrand is then wrapped part way about'the cone (typically about 40 to60) and inserted between thelower end of the cone idler 110 and thestrand starting cone 54 or 78. Since the oscillating strand guide iscenteredrelative to the backup roll 26 and the knurled pull roll 28, thestrand is urged toward the backup roll 26. As the strand progressestoward the base of the strand starting cone, successive idler rolls 112of the cone idler 110 cooperate with the conical surface 66 or 94 of thestrand starting cone to grip the strand and accelerate the speed of thestrand. When the strand reaches the base of the idler cone, the line oftravel of the strand from the oscillating strand guide 30 to the coneidler 110 causes the strand to pass between the backup roll 26 andknurled-pull roll 28 whereby the backup roll and knurled pull roll pickup the strand and feed it between the backup roll and the blade roll orchopper24 where it is chopped and discharged. Once the strand is pickedup by the backup roll 26 and the knurled pull roll 28, the footswitch isreleased and the cone idler 110 is moved out of contact with thestarting cone.

In an operation where there are a plurality of strands, this method canbe utilized to start the individual strands. If any of thesestrands'should break, the individual strand can be reintroduced betweenthe cone idler 110 and the strand starting cone 54m 78. There, thestrand is automatically accelerated to the proper speed and moved up thecone to a point where it is picked up by the backup roll and the kunrledpull roll.

With the embodiment of FIG. 4, wherein the starting cone 78 is drivenindependently of the backup roll 26, the speed of the strand startingcone 78 can be increased while the strand is held at the end cap of thecone where it is gripped betweenthe end cap and an idler or othersuitable means for maintaining the strand in contact with the end capwhile the cone is accelerated. The idler is supported by suitable meanssuch as an extension of bracket 1 16. This type of apparatus is onlynecessary where the final desird speed is so high that the conelengthsto produce the desired strand acceleration and entry speed becomeawkward or impractical. As with the other embodiment, because of theangle between the oscillating strand guide 30 and the point ofintroduction for the strand between the idler and the cone, the strandautomatically proceeds up the incline of the cone after it is releasedwith its velocity increasing uniformly. Just before the strand leavesthe influence of the cone idler 110, it is pinched between the knurledpull roll 28 and the backup roll 26. At this point it has reached itsfinal velocity and moves across the backup roll to its final position inalignment with the strand guide 30 and the blade roll What we claim is:

1. A strand feeding assembly comprising a feeding means for gripping andpulling a strand that includes a roll, means for aligning and guidingthe strand to the feeding means, and a strand starting assembly, thestrand starting assembly comprising:

a. a starting cone, the starting cone being rotatably mounted on an axiscorresponding to the axis of the roll, means for rotating the startingcone, the starting cone having a base end and a head end with a conicalsurface extending between the base end and the head end, the base end ofthe starting cone being adjacent the roll, the base end having adiameter approximately equal to the diameter of the roll;and

b. idler means, the idler means being in contact with the conicalsurface of the starting cone whereby the idler means is rotated by thestarting cone, and the idler means comprising a plurality of idlerswhich cooperate with the conical surface of the starting cone tosuccessively grip a strand as the strand accelerates and progresses fromthe head end to the base end of the starting cone.

2. The strand feeding assembly of claim 1 wherein the guide means andthe idler means are positioned relative to each other in such a mannerthat when the strand is gripped between the idler means and the startingcone at the base end of the cone, the'strand is picked up by the feedingmeans.

3. The strand feeding assembly of claim 2 wherein the point ofintroduction of the strand means to the roll is about 40 to 60 from aline of contact between the idler means and the conical surface of thestarting cone.

4. The strand feeding assembly of claim 2 wherein the guide means isaligned with the feeding means and a source of the strand.

5. The strand feeding assembly of claim 1 wherein means for rotating thestarting cone is independent of means for driving the feeding means.

6. The strand feeding assembly of claim 1 wherein the starting cone isaffixed to the roll of the feeding means and means for rotating thestarting cone also drives the feeding means.

7. The strand feeding assembly of claim 1 wherein the feeding meanscomprises the roll and a pull roll.

8. The strand feeding assembly of claim 7 wherein the point ofintroduction of the strand to the roll is about 40 to 60 from the lineof contact between the idler means and the conical surface of thestarting cone and the pull roll is located intermediate the point ofintroduction and the idler means.

9. The strand feeding assembly of claim 1 wherein the feeding means is acomponent of a strand chopping assembly.

10. A strand accelerating assembly for bringing a strand up to a properspeed for a process comprising a. a cone, the cone having a base end anda head end with a conical surface therebetween, the cone being rotatablysupported about an axis passing through the base end and the head end;

b. means for rotating the cone about the axis;

c. idler means in contact with the conical surface of the cone wherebythe idler means is rotated by the cone, and the idler means comprising aplurality of idlers which cooperate with the conical surface of the coneto successively grip and accelerate a strand introduced between theidler means and the conical surface as the strand progresses fromadjacent the head end to the base end of the cone where the strand canbe picked up by other apparatus.

11. The strand accelerating assembly of claim 10 wherein means isprovided for disengaging the idler means from the conical surface.

12. The strand accelerating assembly of claim 10 wherein means isprovided to urge the strand toward the base end of the cone.

13. A method of accelerating a strand comprising:

a. introducing a strand between an idler assembly comprising a pluralityof idlers and a conical surface of a rotating cone adjacent a head endof the cone; and

b. urging the strand along the conical surface toward a base of the conewhereby the idlers cooperate with the conical surface of the cone tosuccessively grip and accelerate the strand as the strand progressesfrom the head end to the base of the cone.

1. A strand feeding assembly comprising a feeding means for gripping andpulling a strand that includes a roll, means for aligning and guidingthe strand to the feeding means, and a strand starting assembly, thestrand starting assembly comprising: a. a starting cone, the startingcone being rotatably mounted on an axis corresponding to the axis of theroll, means for rotating the starting cone, the starting cone having abase end and a head end with a conical surface extending between thebase end and the head end, the base end of the starting cone beingadjacent the roll, the base end having a diameter approximately equal tothe diameter of the roll; and b. idler means, the idler means being incontact with the conical surface of the starting cone whereby the idlermeans is rotated by the starting cone, and the idler means comprising aplurality of idlers which cooperate with the conical surface of thestarting cone to successively grip a strand as the strand acceleratesand progresses from the head end to the base end of the starting cone.2. The strand feeding assembly of claim 1 wherein the guide means andthe idler means are positioned relative to each other in such a mannerthat when the strand is gripped between the idler means and the startingcone at the base end of the cone, the strand is picked up by the feedingmeans.
 3. The strand feeding assembly of claim 2 wherein the point ofintroduction of the strand means to the roll is about 40* to 60* from aline of contact between the idler means and the conical surface of thestarting cone.
 4. The strand feeding assembly of claim 2 wherein theguide means is aligned with the feeding means and a source of thestrand.
 5. The strand feeding assembly of claim 1 wherein means forrotating the starting cone is independent of means for driving thefeeding means.
 6. The strand feeding assembly of claim 1 wherein thestarting cone is affixed to the roll of the feeding means and means forrotating the starting cone also drives the feeding means.
 7. The strandfeeding assembly of claim 1 wherein the feeding means comprises the rolland a pull roll.
 8. The strand feeding assembly of claim 7 wherein thepoint of introduction of the strand to the roll is about 40* to 60* fromthe line of contact between the idler means and the conical surface ofthe starting cone and the pull roll is located intermediate the point ofintroduction and the idler means.
 9. The strand feeding assembly ofclaim 1 wherein the feeding means is a component of a strand choppingassembly.
 10. A strand accelerating assembly for bringing a strand up toa proper speed for a process comprising a. a cone, the cone having abase end and a head end with a conical surface therebetween, the conebeing rotatably supported about an axis passing through the base end andthe head end; b. means for rotating the cone about the axis; c. idlermeans in contact with the conical surface of the cone whereby the idlermeans is rotated by the cone, and the idler means comprising a pluralityof idlers which cooperate with the conical surface of the cone tosuccessively grip and accelerate a strand introduced between the idlermeans and the conical surface as the strand progresses from adjacent thehead end to the base end of the cone where the strand can be picked upby other apparatus.
 11. The strand accelerating assembly of claim 10wherein means is provided for disengaging the idler means from theconical surface.
 12. The strand accelerating assembly of claim 10wherein means is provided to urge the strand toward the base end of thecone.
 13. A method of accelerating a strand comprising: a. introducing astrand between an idler assembly comprising a plurality of idlers and aconical surface of a rotating cone adjacent a head end of the cone; andb. urging the strand along the conical surface toward a base of the conewhereby the idlers cooperate with the conical surface of the cone tosuccessively grip and accelerate the strand as the strand progressesfrom the head end to the base of the cone.